


Key to My Heart

by neonstardust



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Bakeneko Kozume Kenma, Bondage, Don't Let The Tags Fool You This Is Safe For Work, Doppelganger Miyanoshita Eri, HQ Monster Lovin Weekend, HQ Monster Lovin Weekend 2020, Half-Manticore Yukawa Kouji, Handcuffed Together, Handcuffs, Hide and Seek, Human/Monster Romance, Is This Platonic? Is This Romantic? The Answer Is Yes, Late submission, Nonbinary Hinata Shouyou, Nonbinary Outaki Mako, Rarepair: This Ship Is So Rare I Had To Create The Relationship Tag Myself, Tokyo Training Camp Arc (Haikyuu), Training Camp, Valkyrie Outaki Mako, Weeping Angel Sugawara Koushi, Wraith Kageyama Tobio, Yachi Hitoka-centric, cops and robbers, hiding in a closet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27427384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonstardust/pseuds/neonstardust
Summary: “It’s a training camp, Yachi-san,” Hinata says excidetly. “Of course we should play a game!”Kageyama nods. “We can observe the other teams’ weaknesses.”“Hemeans“—Hinata elbows him—”it will be fun.”Yawning, Yachi grabs her sleeping bag. “You have fun without me. Goodnight.”In hindsight, she really shouldn’t have gone to bed early at a training camp.In which, Yachi is the hero Karasuno doesn’t deserve, and Eri makes being alone in the dark a little less scary.
Relationships: Miyanoshita Eri & Yachi Hitoka, Miyanoshita Eri/Yachi Hitoka
Kudos: 9
Collections: An Asexual's Guide to Monster Lovin Weekend: Because Maybe Hot Monsters want to be Called Beautiful Monsters Just One Time





	Key to My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> HQ Monster Lovin’ Weekend - Prompt: Bondage

Yachi runs. Shadows reach out for her on all sides. Footsteps echo behind her. Legs burning, she pushes herself to move faster.

There! A silhouette moves ahead in the distance. Handcuffs rattle. Desperately, they try to break free.

Yachi skids to a stop, nearly crashing into them.

“Yachi-san?” Hinata shrieks.

“Shh!” She clamps her hand over their mouth and looks around. “We have to hurry. They’re coming!”

Hinata pales. “Who? Not the...”

She nods gravely. “The coaches.”

They gasp. With increasing urgency, they struggle to break out of the handcuffs.

“Wait, wait.” Glancing back, she pulls out a key. “Here.” She unlocks the cuffs.

Hinata rubs their wrist. “Whoa, thanks! Where’d ya’ get those?”

Flushing, she looks away. Getting the key from Kuroo was quite the ordeal. She doesn’t particularly want to talk about it either when she still has to go back and unchain him from the water fountain.

“L-let’s focus,” she says instead. “We have to find the others before the coaches do.”

Hinata pauses. They lower their head, and a dark look passes over their face. “ _Should_ we save the others?” they ask.

Yachi has been asking herself that same question. She’d much rather be in bed sleeping than creeping around the scary Fukurodani school grounds, but she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she left Hinata to face the wrath of the coaches. There must be others involved in this wretched game worthy of rescuing, too.

“Well… we don’t want to get kick out of golden week,” she reasons.

“True.” Hinata taps their thumb against their chin. “We gotta save Daichi-san, Sugawara-san, and Kageyama, then.”

“Daichi-san?” Yachi squeaks. How on earth did they rope him into this?

Hinata seems to read her mind. “Kuroo-san locked him in the janitor’s closet an hour ago.”

“Geh.” She doesn’t have a key for that. Then again, she doesn’t want to be the one to face Daichi after an hour of solitude either.

Hinata points their thumb back toward their chest. “I’ll free Daichi-san. There’s gotta be some pliers in there we can use to cut the handcuffs.”

Yachi nods. “Thank you, Hinata-kun. Now, where are Sugawara-san and Kageyama-kun?”

They shrug. “Beats me. Kageyama abandoned me here, and I lost sight of Suga-san during the—”

They cut themselves off abruptly. Yachi frowns. “During the…?”

“Gotta go!” Hinata takes off running.

“Hey, wait,” she whispers, but they’re already gone, speeding off around the corner. Yachi sighs. What other trouble could they have gotten into while she was sleeping? This game of cops and robbers is already bad enough.

Shaking her head, Yachi runs the other way. She can figure out the rest later. Right now, she has to save the others!

The hallway leads to the auditorium. Her footsteps echo unbearably loud in the silence. Ducking low behind the chairs, she scans the vaulted ceiling for vampires. This would be the prime place for a flying creature to hide. A tengu like Ukai could blend in up there easily.

A body lies in the shadows.

Yachi’s breath freezes in her chest, lodging a scream in her throat so forcefully she chokes.

The body twitches.

Yachi jumps back a meter. Hands shaking, she grabs a spare podium for a weapon. “Who’s there?”

Like a vampire rising from a coffin, he sits up. Blond bangs hang limp in his face.

“Sadako,” she screeches.

“Kenma,” he corrects. Annoyed, he tugs at a strand of his hair and sighs. “I thought dyeing it solved that problem.”

“S-sorry.” She clutches her chest, forcing down a few deep breathes, but her lungs continue to burn. “Did you get caught up in this game, too, Kenma-san?”

He doesn’t speak. Lifting his wrist, he shakes it. The handcuffs rattle against the chair he’s chained to.

Taking mercy on him, Yachi kneels down and unlocks the cuffs.

Kenma watches, feline eyes gleaming in the darkness. “That’s Kuro’s,” he says. A sly smile curves his lips. “Did you bribe him, or did you tickle him?”

Neither, but remembering how he held the key high above his head, laughing when she tried to pull his arm down to her level, she thinks a little tickling may have unintentionally taken place. She grimaces either way. “Get to bed before the coaches find you,” she warns.

Nodding, he gets up leisurely, stretching his shoulders out like a cat. Heading for the exit, he stops to look back at her. “Be careful.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets and walks out. His voice echoes eerily behind him. “Coach Naoi is a werecat.”

Yachi gulps. This is more dangerous than she realized. Heart pounding, she bolts out of the auditorium. Grass crunches beneath her slippered feet. The moonlight bathes the schoolyard in silver light, intensifying the urgency of their situation. Anyone stuck out here will be spotted in seconds.

A strange light shines ahead. Coming to a stop, Yachi looks around. The light appears again, reflecting off the grass and then disappearing. Suddenly, leaves flutter down around her. A branch snaps in half.

A chill travels down her spine. Slowly, slowly, she looks up. Black moves against black. Teeth flash, serrated and long. Claws scrap against the bark of the tree.

Yachi stumbles back. She clamps her hands over her mouth, but it doesn’t stop the petrified shell of a scream from slipping past her lips.

“Wait—Wait, it’s just me!” Sugawara waves his arms.

“Su-Sugawara-san?” Her chest aches. She thinks she may faint. Or cry. Or scream. Or throw a shoe at him and leave him there. Dizzy and blinking away the moisture from her eyes, she thinks all of the options sound good, in that order.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to hide. I, uh…” He chuckles. Cheeks dusting pink, he gestures at himself. Ropes tangle around his wings, pinning him uncomfortably to the tree limbs.

“Yes! I’ll get you down.” She steps forward, her hands reaching up only to stop. “Um...” Yachi’s never climbed a tree before. “How do I...?”

Sugawara flutters his wings helplessly. “Do you have a knife?”

“I’ll get one,” she declares. “Just wait here—oh. Sorry!” Bowing awkwardly, she heads for the cafeteria.

It should be by the science lab. If she remembers right, Bokuto told them it was on the east side of campus during their tour. Slowing to a fast walk, she searches for a door. Where there are students using potentially dangerous chemicals, there must be...

“Ah-ha!” She punches in the key code, and the emergency exit door pops open.

She ventures inside. Shadows shroud the room. The cold air chills her instantly. She hadn’t realized she was sweating until now, and she shivers, hugging herself for warmth.

A cough echoes through the darkness.

Yachi stumbles back against a table, holding her breath. Was that a coach? Or a human eating monster? Remembering what Kenma said about Naoi being a werecat, she realizes whatever is in that corner might be both a coach and a killer, and she gulps.

“That you, Goura-san?” an unfamiliar voice asks.

Yachi tenses. He sounds too young to be a coach. Tiptoeing forward, she finds the curly haired Ubugawa player handcuffed to the emergency shower. “Um...” She thinks his name is Yukawa.

His head snaps toward her, fangs flashing. A barbed tail strikes out by his ankles.

Yachi screams.

He stops, jerking back quickly. “Oh fu—” His head slams against the wall, and he hisses in a pained breath through his teeth.

Oh, no. Too late, Yachi clamps her hands over her mouth. What has she done?

Yukawa rubs his head. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t tryna scare you—I thought you were a murderer of something.”

Yachi could say the same thing. Her heart pounds so hard it’s painful, and she holds onto the table, feeling dizzy. Her throat burns. “The coaches,” she wheezes.

Fear washes the embarrassed blush from his cheeks. He digs his claws into his handcuffs and pulls, but the metal holds strong, uncompromising.

She’s afraid to go near him. He could be one of those monsters that pretends to be nice to get his victims within range to gobble up. It’s way too dangerous. This is her only chance to run.

Still, he’s a student, and he needs help. Legs shaking, she forces herself to step forward. “Don’t eat me.”

“I won’t,” he promises.

Her hands tremble violently. The key misses the lock twice, three times. “Please don’t eat me,” she whispers. “I taste bad, I swear.”

“I don’t eat people,” he says. Politely, he moves his tail behind him, hiding it from sight. He lifts his free hand slowly. “Can I help?”

“No.” She misses the lock a seventh time. Not lifting the key, she drags it against the metal until it slips into the hole. Twisting it fast, she springs far away from him.

“Thanks!” Rubbing the feeling back into his wrist, he bows.

Yachi nods numbly. “Escape through the back exit.” Already, she’s inching away from him, her hands held up in front of her face for safety.

She doesn’t have to tell him twice. In an instance, he’s crossed the classroom and disappeared through the door, but it doesn’t make her feel any less dizzy. She screamed. She alerted the coaches to their location.

Heart pounding, she runs from the science room to the cafeteria. Long rows of silent tables guide her toward the staff area. It seems no students have been bound here, but the emptiness only makes the setting more surreal. A deep, foreboding sense of wrongness settles behind her ribs, compressing her lungs. Students aren’t meant to be in a school when it’s like this. It’s unnatural—sacrilegious, even.

Yachi’s never been in a cafeteria kitchen before. She doesn’t know what she expected: a cozy, kitchenette or a grand master chef layout with subzero refrigerators and built-in cook tops. What she finds isn’t so elaborate. Industrial grade sinks take up the center of the room, built into a narrow island. Dutch ovens and a single stove take up the wall next to the two refrigerators, and cabinets consume the wall beside her, stuffed with ingredients and utensils.

Yachi almost shrieks at the sight of several limbs hanging from the ceiling, only to realize they’re pot and pans.

Footsteps.

She freezes. Beyond the door, a voice, old and deep, calls out a name she’s not familiar with.

She’ll be caught! Yachi runs.

Arms grab her from behind. She tries to scream, but a hand covers her mouth. She’s yanked to the floor.

“Shh. Shh, it’s okay.” A young face leans over her shoulder to look at her. “Hold still.”

Tears prick the corners of Yachi’s eyes. This is how she dies. Murdered by a carnivorous girl with a bubbly voice over a midnight snack.

She lets Yachi go, and she gets her first clear look at her. She’s small, nearly the same height as Yachi herself. She almost doesn’t recognize her with her hair down, but her round face, unusually serious, and green eyes are undeniably that of Ubugawa’s manager: Miyanoshita Eri.

Just as she realizes this, Eri’s face changes. Her legs grow longer. Raven hair lightens to blond. Her pajamas meld into jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt.

Yachi pales. “C-coach Ukai.”

He runs a hand through messy bangs.

The door opens, and the lights kick on. “Who’s in here?” a voice booms.

Yachi slaps her hands over her mouth. That’s the Shinzen coach!

“Watch it,” Ukai grumbles. “It’s me.”

The other coach pauses. “I apologize. I heard a student scream.”

“Same here. I figured they’d be raidin’ the kitchen.” Leaning against the fridge, he stifles a yawn, “Heh, course that’d be too easy.”

“They might have snuck off into a nearby classroom,” he muses. “I’ll check the west wing.”

Ukai lifts his hand in acknowledgment. “I’ll go east, then. Holler if you find anything.”

Yachi doesn’t breathe, not even after the Shinzen coach’s footsteps echo into oblivion. Spots cloud her vision. This is too much. She should have stayed in bed, and now she’s going to get detention from Ukai and expelled and disowned by her mother and forced to live on the streets for the serial killers to hunt and—

“You okay?” Ukai kneels in front her, but his voice comes out sweet and feminine. As she watches, his features soften, raven hair falling around a round face. Eri blinks at her. “Sorry if that scared you.”

“What,” Yachi stutters. Her chest hurts. She’s having far too many heart palpitations for someone her age. Her mother was right—she should have eaten her broccoli that day when she was seven. Now she’s going to die of a heart attack for her ignorance.

Eri shakes her gently. “Breathe, Yachi-chan.”

She sucks in a gasping breath. “I am. I—ugh.” She cradles her arms around her abdomen.

“Oh dear.” Eri dashes off, returning a moment later with water. “Here, drink this. You’re beet red.”

Eri helps her take the cup. She hadn’t realized how dry her throat was until the water slips down her tongue. Even her lips are chapped, and she licks them, blinking as her vision clears.

“You must’ve dehydrated yourself,” Eri says. “Hurry back to bed. There’s a back exit in the science classroom.”

Yachi smiles at the irony. “That’s the way I came.” She finishes the water far too quickly, but her entire chest feels lighter, like she can feel the cool relief branching through her lungs. Standing up, she dusts herself off. “I have to find my classmates. My senpai is stuck in a tree.”

“A tree?” Eri cups her chin in her hand. “Hmm, I saw Outaki-san in the art classroom. We can ask them to help,” she exclaims.

Closing her eyes, Yachi tries to place the name. She thinks it’s the Shinzen manager. During their lunch, they had to sit in the grass because the chair was cutting into their wings.

“Good idea,” Yachi says.

Grabbing her hand, Eri leads the way out of the kitchen. “I think it’s up ahead,” she whispers.

Yachi glances around nervously. The halls aren’t as scary with Eri here, but they have to stay on high alert. This is the direction the Shinzen coach went. He could be lurking anywhere, waiting just out of sight to surprise them. The other coaches can’t be far either.

The thought reminds her of what Eri did. One second, she had been the normal, cute Eri, and the next, she looked exactly like Ukai, all the way down to his voice and posture. Would it be rude to ask her about it?

As if reading her thoughts, Eri broaches the subject first. “Do you have any abilities, Yachi-chan?”

“Huh? Oh, no.” She smiles sheepishly. “I think we had a lamia in the family a long time ago, but I’m, um...” Looking away, she mumbles, “I’m strictly human.”

“Whoa.” Eri’s eyes shine. “I’m so jealous.”

Yachi blinks. Jealous? She rubs her ear. Clearly, she didn’t hear that right. Yet Eri is looking at her as if she just said something incredible. “It’s not really something to be jealous over,” she mumbles. “I’m just average.”

Eri hums. “I think average is a perspective.” Sighing wistfully, she says, “It would be nice not to deal with headaches and dysmutatia.”

Yachi’s brow furrows. “Dys-what?”

Eri turns to her with a teasing yet tired smile. “Transforming into a big guy like your coach isn’t as easy as it looks, you know? My true form doesn’t have the right number of vitamins and stuff to sustain a body that size.” She presses her free hand to her stomach as if it hurts. “It can make you really sick.”

“I’m sorry,” Yachi whispers. “I had no idea.”

“It’s okay. Oh—” She leaps back, pulling Yachi away from the corner. “It’s Coach Nekomata,” she whispers urgently.

Yachi’s body moves faster than her mind. In an instant, she yanks Eri to a nearby supply closet and pushes her inside. A broom nearly whacks Yachi in the face.

A shadow stretches around the corner.

Shoving the broom aside, Yachi squeezes into the closet. The doorknob digs into her back. Her nose bumps against Eri’s. Reaching out, Yachi holds onto the shelves behind Eri to keep from bashing their heads together.

In the pitch black, Eri’s eyes glow like emeralds. The light illuminates shelves full of spray-paint and bleach wipes. Yachi’s hand knocks against a sponge, and it falls pitifully onto her slipper.

Footsteps shuffle past the closet. Yachi gulps. Her heart pounds so loud she’s sure Eri can hear it—can feel it beating through her ribs.

“I thought I heard students,” Nekomata’s voice drifts through the door. “Must have been my imagination.”

Yachi doesn’t know why, but it sounds as if he’s smiling. The thought is lost beneath the relief that floods her as his footsteps grow faint, leaving the hallway.

“Do you think he’s gone?” Eri asks. Her words come out as nothing more than a breath, so soft Yachi tastes them more than she hears them.

“I don’t know.” She reaches for the doorknob. “What… What if he’s waiting for us to come out?”

A soft hand finds hers, pulling it away from the handle. Eri takes her other hand, too, squeezing them both reassuringly. “Let’s wait.”

Yachi nods. It’s an immediate mistake. Their heads smack against each other, and she winces. “Ouch. Sorry.”

Eri giggles, breathlessly light. She pulls Yachi even closer until her head is resting on her shoulder. “Is this better?” she asks. Her voice ghosts warmly against Yachi’s ear.

Mouth dry, Yachi nods again. Everything feels warm. Eri’s hands trace gentle shapes against her back. Her own hands find Eri’s waist, and she breathes in deep, inhaling the scent of jasmine and evergreens. For the first time tonight since Yamaguchi frantically shook her awake, she feels safe.

Yachi’s afraid to speak—afraid it will break whatever spell this is, shattering the warmth and shelter—but the others are waiting. “Do you think he’s gone?” she whispers. Surely not even Nekomata would wait around this long for someone.

She holds Yachi tighter. “Let’s not risk it.”

“Mhm. Okay,” she whispers, “one more minute.”

Seconds tick by.

Yachi hadn’t notice it before, but Eri’s hair is longer than hers, dangling down just past her shoulders now that it’s not in pigtails. Cautiously, she brushes back a strand, and Eri leans into her touch, letting her run her fingers through her hair. Soft, Yachi thinks. Eri is soft. It makes something inside her chest feel soft, too.

“Um,” Yachi starts, “were you counting, or was I?”

She feels Eri’s smile against her neck. “I thought you were.”

Her face heats up. Mouth opening and closing, she tries to stammer out a response, but Eri only giggles. Her grip on Yachi tightens, just for a second, and then she let’s go, opening the door, leaving Yachi unsure if it actually happened.

“Let’s go,” she whispers. Hand twining with Yachi’s, she leads her out of the closet. “We have to find Outaki-san before they go back to bed.”

“Right.” Yachi nods firmly. Leaning around the corner, she checks to see if any more coaches will suddenly appear out of the darkness. “It’s clear,” she whispers.

She and Eri break into a run. The halls fly by. Their footsteps resound loudly in the small space, but they don’t slow down until they hear the soft, scratchy sound of hushed voices.

“What were you thinking?” someone asks. Metal clinks, like handcuffs rattling.

A boy sighs. “It seemed fun.”

“Fun?” The handcuffs clink again. “This is fun? How’d you even get these?”

A long pause. “The Fukurodani and Nekoma captains...”

Yachi exchanges a glance with Eri, and she nods. “Outaki-san.”

A consuming silence engulfs them. Yachi tenses. “Get back.”

“What—”

Yachi yanks her back. The door slams open. Outaki leaps out, a broom brandished in their hand like a broad sword. “Who’s there?” Their wings extend fully, showering the hall in golden light.

Yachi nearly faints on sight. Just one of Outaki’s wings is longer than Yachi is tall. Their eyes blaze with fearless determination. Feeling small, Yachi backs away, tucking Eri behind her.

Outaki lowers the broom. “Oh, it’s you guys.” Their wings tuck in neatly behind their back. “Whew, thought you were a robber or something. Are you okay?”

Shakily, Eri nods. “I think my heart stopped for a second.”

Yachi isn’t sure her heart is even beating anymore. Not even a weeping angel like Sugawara or a half manticore like Yukawa were able to instill the level of terror that seizes her now. Breathing shallow, she covers her eyes with her hands and tries to force the memories out of her head. “I need a minute.”

“I’m sorry, Yachi-chan. Do you need water?” Outaki asks.

Eri squeezes her shoulders. “I think one of my classmates scared her earlier, and we had two run-ins with the coaches.”

“I’m okay, now,” Yachi says. Mentally, she reminders herself to never startle a valkyrie ever again. “Outaki-san, I’m sorry to ask...” Under her breath, she adds, “And to admit this out loud.”

“Oh boy.” Nodding their head toward the classroom, Outaki steps inside. “Let’s talk here.”

Eri follows after them, leaving Yachi to take up the rear. She stares down at her feet.

 _Splash_!

Yachi yelps.

“Ew.” Eri lifts her foot up, grimacing at her soaked slipper.

A boy is handcuffed to the teacher’s desk, and Outaki elbows him. “This is his fault.”

Light reflects off their wings, illuminating Chigaya’s face, and he hangs his head in shame. “Sorry.”

“What happened in here?” Yachi tries to find a dry spot to stand, but the entire floor drowns beneath a centimeter of water. Colorful bits of latex bob in ripples around her.

Chigaya mumbles too softly for her to hear his words.

“Water balloon fight,” Outaki elaborates.

Chigaya mumbles again.

Outaki points at the large sinks. “They started spraying each other with the hoses when they ran out of balloons.”

“Whoa,” Eri whispers.

A sinking feeling settles in her chest. “They?”

Chigaya doesn’t speak this time. Looking away, he pressed his lips tightly together.

Outaki sighs. “All I got out of him is that the Nekoma and Fukurodani captains were involved.”

Eri giggles nervously. “You can add Goura-san and Yukawa-san.”

“Sugawara-san and Hinata-kun were here, too,” Yachi confirms.

“At this point,” Eri says, “the list of people _not_ involved might be shorter.”

“It wasn’t that many,” Chigaya mumbles. “Karasuno had the most first years, but things didn’t get scary until the Fukurodani vice-captain woke up.”

Yachi tenses. “Akaashi-san is awake?”

Eri glances around like Akaashi might suddenly drop down from the rafters.

“We should hurry.” Yachi pulls out the key.

Outaki holds up their hand. “Wait. He hasn’t told us what happened when Akaashi-san woke up.”

“You ask that now?” Chigaya tugs against his handcuffs. “Get me out of these, and I’ll tell you everything. I swear!”

Outaki crosses their arms over their chest. “Answers first,” they say in a voice that silences all arguments.

He hangs his head, defeated. “The water balloon fight was an accident. Hinata-kun dropped one in here, and it started a battle. Akaashi-san’s face was so scary when he came in.” He shudders. “Kuroo-san told everyone to run for it. Akaashi-san and Bokuto-san had a fight. I don’t really understand it myself, but it turned into a game of cops and robbers with Bokuto-san as the cop.”

Eri nods sympathetically, as if any of that made sense. “He’s handcuffing the ‘robbers.’“

That doesn’t sound right. Hinata is Bokuto’s self-proclaimed disciple. He wouldn’t have handcuffed them. More importantly, she confiscated a whole box of handcuffs from Kuroo, not Bokuto.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” she mumbles. She needs to find her team and get out now, while they still can. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima are already in bed, and hopefully Hinata is, too, along with Daichi. Sugawara is waiting in the tree. That leaves Kageyama.

Her bad feeling intensifies. What did Hinata say before? Kageyama abandoned them?

Shaking her head, she quickly unlocks Chigaya’s restraints. “Go straight to bed,” she warns.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you!” He runs off, ducking around Outaki before they can grab him.

Eri taps her finger against her cheek. “Goura-san broke his cuffs, and you saved Yukawa-san. I think that’s all for Ubugawa.”

“Chigaya-san was the last for Shinzen.” Leaning back against a desk, Outaki says, “Ogano-san and Shouta-san are getting towels to clean this place up.”

Yachi bows. “Outaki-san, my senpai is stuck in a tree. Please help him.”

They giggle, the sound growing into a laugh like musical bells. “A tree? Okay, okay.” Rubbing a tear from their eye, they pull out a knife from their pajamas. “I’ll go cut him down.”

Yachi doesn’t remember saying Sugawara was tied to the tree. After one look at Outaki’s curling knife blade, she decides she doesn’t want to think about it.

“Thank you, Outaki-san!” She bows again. Turning to Eri, she says, “Thank you, too, Miyanoshita-san. You should go back to bed now that all of Ubugawa is safe.”

Eri frowns. “What about you?”

“I’ll be okay,” Yachi promises. “I only have one classmate left.”

Pouting, Eri takes her hand. “I can’t sleep knowing you’re out here alone.”

“But...” Yachi’s mind doesn’t get any farther than that one word. She doesn’t know what she had planned to say either. Eri’s hand is warm in hers. Their fingers lace together so naturally she’s not sure if she did that or Eri did. Her pout somehow makes her eyes look rounder, and they shimmer somewhere between olive and emerald in the low light.

Taking a deep breath, Yachi forces her brain to get back on task. “Okay.” She squeezes Eri’s hand. “Let’s do this.”

They race out into the hall, their wet slippers sliding on the tile. It feels like a crime, but Yachi kicks hers off, and Eri follows suit, tossing them into a nearby trashcan.

“Kageyama-kun isn’t in the east wing,” Yachi whispers.

Eri stares intently ahead. “I hear a coach to the right.”

Straining her ears in the soundless hall, Yachi doesn’t hear anything. She’s glad she let Eri come with her now more than ever.

“On the count of three,” Eri whispers.

“Wait.” Yachi steps back. “Do we run on three, or do we run after three? Or before three? Wait, is running before three a thing—”

Skipping the numbers entirely, Eri pulls, and then they’re sprinting down the hall, ducking into the nearest classroom. Back pressed against the door, Eri listens closely. “I don’t think they noticed us.”

Yachi doubles over. Hands on her knees and breathing heavy, she regrets not taking her physical education more seriously. “What…” she huffs. “What happened to three?”

“I didn’t want it to stress you out,” Eri says.

Based on her rapidly beating heart, Yachi can’t say she feels any less stressed out. That doesn’t make the sentiment any less endearing, though, and she reaches out for Eri on instinct. “Is the coast clear?”

She nods. “Nekomata-san is heading for the gym, and Naoi-san to the art room.”

Relief and horror slam into her all at once. Face pallid, she grabs Eri by the shoulders. “We’re out of time!”

“What? Why—Ah!”

Yachi tugs her out of the classroom. When Naoi finds the art room soaking wet, he’s going to be livid. Yet, that fear is nothing compared to the terror of Nekomata’s destination. “The boys are sleeping in the gym,” Yachi pants. “He’s going to see who’s missing!”

Eri’s eyes widen. She slams to a halt.

Yachi’s hand slips out of hers. She stumbles, turning to face her. “What’s wrong?”

“Run,” Eri hisses.

Yachi blinks. “What?”

Too late, she feels the shadow fall over her. Footsteps fill her ears, drowning out everything else. A hand lands on her shoulder, gentle yet pinning her in place, and she gulps.

Eri holds up her hands pleadingly. “Please, let her go.”

A heavy sigh warms the back of head. Yachi shivers. “A-am I expelled?” she whimpers.

“No.” It’s not the deep voice of a coach. It’s younger and more polite. She would know that voice anywhere, but his next words burn away her relief: “I apologize.”

Something cold latches onto her wrist. Yachi stares in disbelief at her hand, at the solid handcuff clasped to her wrist. Why?

Akaashi steps around her, the other cuff still in his grasp.

Her stomach feels tight, her throat burning. She doesn’t know if she’s going to scream or throw up. She opens her mouth, but no words make it past the lump in her throat.

Head numb, she reaches for the key, but her fingers close on nothingness. She tries again. Again. Her pocket remains empty. Why?

The key shines in Akaashi’s other hand.

“Why?” The word finally breaks free. Uselessly, she tries to pull her arm free.

“While ridiculous,” Akaashi says, “this is the only way to end the game. Please don’t resist. You’ll sprain yourself.” Unmoved by her struggling, he hooks the other cuff through a nearby door handle.

Eri jumps on him. “Let her go!”

The force barely moves him. Eyebrows raised, he looks down at her as if nothing more than a small child is clinging to his arm.

“Miyanoshita-san…” She clenches her fists. Snapping back to herself, Yachi tugs against Akaashi with all her might, grabbing the handcuff chain and pulling with both hands.

Akaashi plants his feet and sighs.

“Oh!” Eri closes her eyes. Suddenly, her features change. Skinny arms transform into coiled muscle. Her legs grow until she’s the same height as Akaashi, and he begins to sag under the weight. In an instant, Eri’s soft face is gone, replaced by the narrow-eyed stare of the Ubugawa captain, Goura Masaki.

Akaashi’s expression tightens. The cuff digs into his hand, and he struggles to keep his balance.

Seizing the opportunity, Yachi presses her foot against the wall and tugs against the chain with all her might. If they can just—

Akaashi releases the cuffs. Yachi flies backward, slamming her elbows against the floor.

In one swift movement, Akaashi slips behind Eri. “A doppelganger,” he says idly. Grabbing Eri’s arms, he pulls them uncomfortably behind her back. “Please understand, I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Your cooperation would be much appreciated.”

Eri struggles to free herself, but the harder she tries, the clearer it is to see she’s not used to a muscular body like Goura’s. She wiggles her arms at the elbows instead of drawing strength from her shoulders, and she kicks feebly at his legs as if she’s forgotten how much force Goura’s muscles are capable of. Sweat breaks out on her forehead. Quickly, her form starts to waver, her body returning to its true appearance.

What should she do? Yachi looks around frantically. If not even a doppelganger can stop Akaashi, there’s no hope a human like Yachi can do anything. She needs a plan. She needs an AED. She needs help.

Help. That’s it!

Staggering to her feet, Yachi tilts back her head and screams.

Akaashi jolts. Her transformation shattering, Eri stumbles free.

Breathless, Yachi backs away. “I’ll scream again,” she pants. “The coaches will hear.”

“I hear Coach Naoi already,” Eri threatens, but she holds her head, like she can barely even hear herself. Her skin is unnaturally pale. “You...” Unsteady, she leans on Yachi for support. “You better go.”

Unhurried, Akaashi rubs his ear. His gaze goes right through them. “So, this is how it ends after all,” he mumbles to himself.

Yachi tenses. Did... Did Akaashi see this coming? That can’t be possible. Akaashi is a human like her; he has no psychic abilities. Then why...

A horrible clarity washes over her, tinged with a sense of déjà vu. This game started because Bokuto and Akaashi had a fight. It’s the reason Kageyama is still missing. And yet, Bokuto hasn’t been here at all. It was Kuroo who had the handcuffs and the keys... as if he had been going around freeing people. Her head spins. She remembers Hinata, chained up all alone. They said Kuroo locked Daichi in the closet, but what if that wasn’t the case? Daichi would only have forced the Karasuno members to go to bed before returning to the gym himself. Unless...

Hinata was alone. The thought echoes in her mind. What else did Hinata say? They were abandoned?

Akaashi stares right past them. No. No, he’s looking behind them!

Too late, Yachi spins around. Metal clinks. A weight tugs against her arm. No, she’s handcuffed to another arm. Eri’s arm.

She doesn’t want to look up, but she knows. Bokuto would never handcuff Hinata. A human like Akaashi couldn’t have chased Sugawara up a tree, and Yukawa was far too strong for just anyone to handcuff in the science room, let alone a human. Daichi would only have been out of bed at this hour to save his kouhai, and there’s only one Karasuno student left unaccounted for. Only one monster who could sneak up on Eri.

“Why?” she asks.

With one final tug to ensure the cuffs are secure, the skeletal hand release the chain. “I’m sorry, Yachi-san.” Blue eyes like hellfire appear in the darkness as a corporeal body takes form. Kageyama dips his head in an apologetic bow. “This is a necessary step for me to become the best setter.”

Yachi stares, long and hard. An unusual feeling stirs in her stomach. She’s been handcuffed to Eri. She was woken up at midnight to run all over the unfamiliar Fukurodani school grounds getting the daylights scared out of her by weeping angels, manticores, and valkaries only to be handcuffed to Eri so that Kageyama can become a better setter. Anger. Her eye twitches. She feels anger.

Eri’s expression clears, and she blinks at her chained wrist, dazed. “Huh?”

“This has nothing to do with setting,” Yachi shouts.

Behind her, Akaashi mumbles, “ _Thank you_.”

“It does,” Kageyama says. “I’m battling Akaashi-san. Bokuto-san said, ‘the best setter wins.’”

The intense urge to handcuff _him_ to the classroom door comes over her. “This isn’t setting,” she states. “This—this isn’t even volleyball.” She points at him, accidentally yanking Eri’s hand in the process. “I thought you were in danger!”

Unconcerned, he says, “I’m a wraith.”

“That’s not the point,” she yells. “You could have been found by the coaches.” Clutching her head, she says, “You could have be expelled and banned from volleyball for the rest of your life, and Karasuno would lose Nationals—”

Kageyama raises his hand. “Uhh?”

“—and everyone would blame me for not rescuing you, and all of Miyagi would throw tomatoes at me for ruining your future volleyball career—”

“Yacchan,” Akaashi cuts in.

“—and Japan would lose the Olympics, and—”

Eri hugs her, their arms bumping awkwardly together. “There, there, Yachi-chan.”

Gasping in a shuddering breath, Yachi leans into her. She feels like she should be crying. This night has worn at every last one of her nerves. “This is like the time I got water in my nose in the pool and thought I was going to drown,” she mumbles into Eri’s shoulder.

Eri pets her hair. “Let’s get you back in bed. We can share my sleeping bag until Goura-San breaks the handcuffs.”

Akaashi silently holds up the handcuff key, one eyebrow raised.

Kageyama bows his head. “I’m sorry, Yachi-san. I promise not to, uh, do any of what you just said.”

“Thank you,” she mumbles.

“Oh my gosh! The coaches,” Eri exclaims.

Eyes wide, Kageyama vanishes into thin air. Akaashi reaches for their handcuffs, but there’s no time. Footsteps echo just around the corner.

Snatching the key from Akaashi’s hand, Yachi runs. Eri stumbles, and then they’re both sprinting down the hall, crashing through the school doors.

“Kuroo-san,” Yachi pants.

Akaashi nods. “I’ll handle it.”

In the distance, two shapes blur through the sky as Sugawara and Outaki take flight. Yachi nods to Eri. “That’s everyone.”

“Let’s go.” Taking Yachi’s hand, she runs.

Yachi doesn’t think she’s ever had to run this much before in her life—not even that time Hinata dragged her through town. Her legs shake. By the time they reach the history classroom where the girls are sleeping, a stitch tugs at her side, and she gasps for air.

Face red, Eri leans against the wall for support. “I’m going to need so many vitamins after this,” she pants.

Movement catches Yachi’s attention from the corner of her eye. Turning to the window, she watches Bokuto jump around out in the field, pulling Akaashi and Kuroo into a bone crushing hug.

Eri’s fingers thread between Yachi’s. Moving to stand beside her, she whispers, “I guess it all ended well, huh?”

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Miyanoshita-san.” Yachi smiles.

“Please.” Eri shakes her hand, rattling their handcuffs. “After all we’ve been through, you can call me Eri.”

She giggles. “Okay. Then, call me Hitoka.”

“Hitoka-chan,” Eri says immediately, a beaming smile on her lips.

Just seeing it makes Yachi’s chest feel warm and fluttery. She tries to unlock the handcuffs, but she finds her gaze moving back to Eri’s face. She misses the lock twice. “Sorry.” She tries again. Finally, the cuffs click open.

Eri rubs her wrist. “You know... Since Kageyama-san handcuffed you to me instead of an immovable object, I wonder... Does that mean he didn’t actually beat Akaashi-san?”

Yachi pales. “Let’s not ask.”

“Right.” Eri yawns. With a sleepy grin, she flops down on her sleeping bag. “See you in the morning, Hitoka-chan.”

Yachi moves her own sleeping bag next to Eri’s before lying down, too. “Goodnight, Eri-san.” Her eyes flutter closed. Rolling onto her side, Yachi takes her hand, and she smiles. “Sweet dreams.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ukai shuffles back into the teachers’ lounge, muffling a yawn behind his hand. “How’d it go?”
> 
> Standing at the window, Nekomata watches Hinata and Daichi sneak back inside the gym alongside Ogano and Shouta, their arms laden with sopping wet towels. “Oh?” He sips his tea. “We didn’t see a single student,” he says with a smile.


End file.
